2025 Nebraska Offseason Thread

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 43: Alonzo "Lon" Stiner, Tackle, 1925-1926

On Dec. 4, 2014, Oregon State's Mike Riley was named Nebraska's head coach, replacing the fired Bo Pelini.

The hire was… how do I put this politely... surprising. Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst conducted the coaching search on his own, without input from a hiring committee or independent search firm. Numerous names were speculated during the search (including Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and others), but nobody expected Riley.

A big reason was nobody expected Mike Riley to leave Corvallis. He was the dean of coaches in the Pac-12 and had resurrected the OSU program, giving the Beavers their first winning seasons since 1970. Riley's Oregon State teams were good, but not great. He led them to eight bowl games in his last 12 seasons and was known for big upsets (taking down No. 2 USC in 2006, No. 1 Cal in 2007 and No. 1 USC in 2008). But only one of his teams (2006) won 10 games, and they never finished a season ranked higher than 18 (2008).

One of the narratives around Riley was that he could be a great coach at a school with more resources and support than Oregon State. The Cornhuskers have bushels of both. In announcing the hire, Eichorst said, "Mike Riley has a proven record of success, a sound approach to football and teaching, an understanding of the educational mission of our university and the integrity and values that we cherish at Nebraska."

Mike Riley has the most wins of any coach in Oregon State's history (93), which he accumulated in 14 seasons. And yet, Riley trails another coach - a Nebraska alum and Hastings native - in winning percentage and years spent at Oregon State: Alonzo "Lon" Stiner.

Before Stiner became a coach, he was a tremendous tackle for Nebraska in the mid-1920s. Stiner started his playing career at Lombard College in Illinois but returned to his home state for the 1925 season. In 1925, Stiner helped first-year coach Ernest Bearg to a 4-2-2 record.

In 1926, Stiner was selected as a team captain. He controlled the line and received All-Missouri Valley Conference honors. Stiner was also recognized as a first team All-American, making him just the fourth Cornhusker to earn All-America status.

Stiner got into coaching after his playing career, and the Nebraska alum served as Oregon State's head coach from 1933-1948.* He compiled a 74-49-17 .589 in 14 seasons (the Beavers did not field a team in 1943 or 1944 due to World War II).

*Two other Husker players - Edward "Doc" Stewart and Dick Rutherford - also spent time as Oregon State's head coach.

Like Mike Riley, Stiner's best game was an upset of USC. In 1933, the two-time reigning champion Trojans brought 80 players - and a 25-game winning streak - to Corvallis. Stiner played a total of 11 men, never substituting throughout the game. The "Iron Men" game - which ended in a 0-0 tie - is still considered one of the greatest games in OSU history.

Mike Riley never made the Rose Bowl. Lon Stiner did in 1942, even if his team didn't play in Pasadena. The 1942 Rose Bowl took place just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The game was played at Duke, but the Beavers won the game.

Riley's teams were known for their pro-style offenses. Stiner's 1933 team innovated a new kicking defense. In the "pyramid play," a 6-foot-5 player would be lifted onto the shoulders of two 6-foot-2 players before kick attempts. Not surprisingly, the pyramid play was outlawed the following year.

We won't spend too much time relitigating the Mike Riley era at Nebraska. Despite being universally regarded as one of the best human beings you could hope to meet, he mostly received a chilly reception from Nebraska fans and others with ties to program.

Riley went 19-19 in three seasons that had good moments (a 7-0 start in 2016, en route to a 9-4 finish) and bad (4-8 in 2017 with one of the worst defenses in school history). Mike Riley was Nebraska head coach for less than three calendar years, the shortest tenure since Pete Elliott coached for one season 1956.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 42: Jerry Murtaugh, Linebacker, 1968-1970

Prior to the start of the 1970 campaign, Nebraska had completed 80 seasons of intercollegiate football. The Cornhuskers had 29 conference titles to their credit (including one in 1969), but the program had zero national championships. Their highest finish in the AP poll was fifth, in 1965. Nebraska's all-time record in bowl games was 3-5.

So, when senior linebacker Jerry Murtaugh stood in front of the 35 media members in town on the Big Eight Skywriters Tour and predicted that Nebraska would win the national championship, it raised some eyebrows.

"A bunch of reporters around, and they just ask me, bluntly: How do you think you're going to do?" Murtaugh said. "And I just told them — I said, we're going to win it all. Nobody's going to beat us."

Just wait… ol' Murt was just getting warmed up.

Murtaugh predicted Nebraska would avenge its 1969 loss to Southern Cal, saying NU would "beat the hell out of USC."

He didn't believe the preseason hype about Kansas State and quarterback Lynn Dickey. "We read about Dickey. All those things in the paper. White shoes and all that stuff. You like to knock guys down like that. We put a good pass rush on Dickey last year and he got a little shook. Hey, they say Dickey is Mr. Cool. He got shook. He was scrambling. He didn't have to do much last year. But he was off against us."

Around this time, I-back Jeff Kinney arrived. He grabbed Murtaugh by the arm and pulled him away from the reporters saying, "You just look pretty and let me do the talking."

In a 2004 HuskerMax interview, Murtaugh recalled getting reamed by coach Bob Devaney for speaking out of turn: "He said, 'You got to keep your damn mouth shut. You can’t be doing this crap, Murtaugh!'" As punishment, Murtaugh had to run stadium steps.

That is Jerry Murtaugh, one of the biggest characters - and best players - of the Devaney era.

Murtaugh was a standout linebacker - and undefeated state wrestling champion - at Omaha North High. With offers from all over, Devaney worked hard to keep him home.

Murtaugh broke into the starting lineup in 1968, recording a team-high 99 tackles. He was named honorable mention All-Big Eight. As a junior in 1969, Murtaugh had 126 tackles, which broke Wayne Meylan's single-season record. Murtaugh earned first-team All-Big Eight honors.

This brings us back to 1970, Murtaugh's senior season. Could he - a captain - back up his "We're going to win it all. Nobody's going to beat us" claims?

Nebraska beat Wake Forest 36-12 in the opener. A newcomer from Omaha - a kid named Johnny Rodgers - caught a long touchdown pass in the game.

Next came a trip to No. 3 Southern Cal, who had beaten Nebraska 31-21 the year before.

It was a back-and-forth game with the two teams trading touchdowns. A bad Husker snap led to a 22-yard missed field goal in the fourth quarter. Murtaugh's prediction that NU would avenge the USC loss was incorrect. But Nebraska didn't lose, either. The game ended in a 21-21 tie. Murtaugh had 14 solo tackles (and 11 assists) including a stop on fourth-and-one near midfield late in the game.

Nebraska didn't "beat the hell out of USC," but the Huskers gained a confidence that they could play with anybody, anywhere. From there, the 1970 team got on a roll. 28-0 over Army. 35-10 at Minnesota. They beat No. 16 Missouri 17-7 before blowing out Kansas, Okie State, Colorado and Iowa State.

The next game was against Kansas State. Lynn Dickey and his white shoes came to Lincoln in November of 1970. On K-State's first possession, the Blackshirts' pass rush of Willie Harper and Larry Jacobson forced Dickey into a bad throw that was intercepted by Murtaugh. It was the first of a school-record seven interceptions on the day. Johnny Rodgers scored from 30 yards out on the next play. Nebraska won 51-13.

A year before the Game of the Century, 6-3 Oklahoma had yet to become an irresistible wishbone juggernaut. But the Sooners played one of their best games of the season. They stopped Nebraska on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and led twice.

But the Huskers battled back to regain the lead. With five seconds to go, Oklahoma had the ball at the Nebraska 27. A touchdown would tie the game and end Nebraska's title hopes. Jack Mildren's fourth-down pass was tipped and intercepted by Jim Anderson.

Going into the 1971 Orange Bowl against LSU, Nebraska was ranked third behind No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State. Notre Dame beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and Stanford knocked off Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. The door was now open for Nebraska.

In the Orange Bowl, the Blackshirts held the Tigers to just 12 points. After Jerry Tagge's touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter, the defense stood tall, turning back several LSU drives in the fourth quarter to preserve to win.

Murtaugh led the team with 10 tackles. Murtaugh's prediction came true: Nobody beat Nebraska. The Cornhuskers won their first national championship in 1970. He ended the 1970 season with 142 tackles, breaking his own record (back then, bowl games were not included in the stat totals). Murtaugh also set the school record for most tackles (342). That mark stood for over 30 years until Barrett Ruud broke it in 2004. In addition to being All-Big Eight and All-America, Murtaugh was the 1970 Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year.

No matter how many sets of stadium stairs he had to run, Jerry Murtaugh never has kept his "damn mouth shut." He hosted the "Legends Radio Show" for over a decade, interviewing numerous former Huskers. Murtaugh has also been an unofficial Nebraska football alumni ambassador, helping to connect former players with speaking engagements and other public appearances.

And, as we'll discuss at #39, Murtaugh's ability to talk and connect continues to make a difference for former student athletes across the state.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 41: Marc Munford, Linebacker, 1983-1986

Nebraska has long been a pioneer in athletic performance. The core philosophy has always been about helping student athletes maximize their physical potential.

Most people think of that simply as lifting weights and running sprints. But there is more to making sure an athlete is in peak condition. If we think of a college football player as a vehicle - backs and receivers as sports cars, linemen as large trucks, etc. - the fuel that goes into them plays a tremendous role in their performance.

As fundamentally basic as that is, there are inherent challenges as well. Often, young men in the 18-22 range, away from home for the first time, aren't skilled in the kitchen. Even if they know the difference between roux and stew, time is the next hurdle. Between workouts, practices, classes, study hours, meetings, film study and more, it is easy to run out of hours in the day. And finally, players may lack the knowledge of what is good fuel and what is not. Fast food might be an "extra value meal," but it's not ideal nourishment for a college athlete with demanding caloric needs.

The Cornhuskers have long provided food options for their players. The Big Six conference approved "training table" meals in 1938. Early versions of Nebraska's training table - available only to male athletes - were located in the Student Union and the Selleck Quadrangle.

In the 1960s, the origins of the Husker Beef Club started. Nebraska ranchers would donate cattle to be served at the training table, often with Nebraska farmers donating the corn the cows ate. Nebraska football was a field-to-farm-to-field operation.

Nebraska's 1978 summer conditioning guide - given to players to conduct their own offseason workouts - had a nutrition section that stressed the importance of vitamins, minerals and proteins. It provided some sample menus for gaining weight using a six-meals-a-day plan.

In 1985, Nebraska's modern training table - in the west side of Memorial Stadium - opened. In addition to the expanded capacity (it held 220 people and served 330 meals a day in 1985), it was overseen by a registered dietitian. This allowed the staff to begin educating players on nutrition and making sure they were properly fueling themselves.

Linebacker Marc Munford was a part of the first group of Huskers to benefit from the training table.

If you’re compiling a list of the best linebackers in school history, Marc Munford’s name should be on that list. A strong tackler, he led the team in tackles in each of his final three seasons. He is in an elite group of Huskers to win all-conference honors in three seasons.

As a sophomore, he had a breakout performance against Missouri with a career-high 16 tackles and a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown. A devasting knee injury cost Munford the final two games of his junior season, but he still led the team in tackles and repeated as an All-Big Eight pick. In his senior season, he was a captain of a Blackshirt defense that held Kansas to minus-21 yards on 22 carries.

Munford was an excellent prep baseball player with offers to the some of the top college programs of the day. He wanted to moonlight with the Nebraska baseball team, but the coaches wouldn't allow it. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

By 1997, Nebraska's sports nutrition program had gone to another level. Dave Ellis - who had started on Boyd Epley's strength and conditioning staff - was hired in 1994 as the first full-time nutritionist in a college athletic department. He elevated Nebraska's program by customizing meal plans based on the different positional needs of football players. In addition, Ellis' staff would educate and coach players on food choices, portions, and more.

Nebraska's dedication to athletic performance - on and off the field - was a major factor in the Huskers' success.

Today, Nebraska's training table in the new Osborne Legacy Complex is led by Kristin Coggin, assistant athletic director for performance nutrition. It is a state-of-the-art facility that has an executive chef serving hundreds of meals every day. There is also a demo kitchen where student-athletes learn how to make their own healthy meals - an important life skill for everyone, especially elite athletes.

The nutrition staff works with the strength and conditioning team to help players meet their goals - weight loss, gain, or maintain. It's all part of a holistic approach to player performance and recovery intended to help players maximize their ability.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 40: Pat Tyrance, Linebacker, 1987-1990

"There are over 400,000 student-athletes, but almost all of them will go pro in something other than sports."

That is the tag line from a classic NCAA commercial campaign talking about the positive impact sports have on student-athletes. While we can knock the NCAA for numerous failures and shortcomings, I appreciate that - at least in their commercials - the NCAA tries to remember their primary mission is academics instead of being a feeder system for various professional leagues.

Former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones famously tweeted: "Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS." To his credit, Jones did finish his degree, but he did say the quiet part out loud: Some student athletes don't care about the "student" portion.


Graduating from college is an accomplishment, especially when a full-time student is also a full-time athlete. When push comes to shove, it is easy for academics to take a back seat to athletics. Nebraska - like every other power conference school - has academic support staff to help players study, pass and stay on track for their degrees. This can take the form of tutors, study halls and advisors who might help a struggling player find a less rigorous major or class.*

*I'm not going to look down my nose at the "easy A" courses that tend to have a lot of student athletes in them. Plenty of non-athletes took them as well.

Case in point: Entomology 222, aka "Insects in Society." It was an excellent science elective for people not going into a scientific field. The course focused on the intersection of insects and humans, particularly in areas like food, disease, and popular culture. One assignment was to watch a movie about insects (I chose "Godzilla versus Mothra") and write a paper on whether or not the representation was accurate, citing examples and suggesting how it could be made more realistic. It was an extremely interesting - and entertaining - course. My average going into the final was something like 119 out of 100. 

I'm not going to knock players who choose to keep their academics on the lighter side. But some student athletes do choose a more rigorous course load, in a more complex field of study. Over the years, there have been numerous Huskers who have majored in some rather intense subjects (engineering, physics, chemistry, pre-law and more). Maybe it's just my non-scientific mind, but I always had a deep admiration for the pre-med majors.

Pat Tyrance is one of those players who embraced the "student" part of the student athlete. In fact, let’s start on the academic side:

Tyrance, a Biology/Pre-Med major, was a two-time Academic All-American. He was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete in 1990. He earned the prestigious NCAA Today's Top Six Award in 1990, one of the top honors for student athletes.*

*Tyrance's wife, Renita Robinson - the 1989 NCAA triple jump champion for Nebraska's track team - was also an Academic All-American and was Today's Top Six finalist the previous semester. 

Tyrance's GPA was "only" 3.46, partially due to being on academic probation in his first semester at UNL. By the end of his college career, he would come home after practice and study for several hours. Also, I'm guessing he wasn't taking "Insects in Society" or "History of Rock & Roll" to boost his GPA. In a 1990 article with the Baltimore Sun, Tyrance said his courseload was "pretty demanding, but I like it. That makes it fun. It's not quite as worthwhile when you're taking easy classes."

Oh yeah - in addition to his rigorous academic load, hours of studying, and everything that goes into being a star linebacker, Tyrance was  a new father as a college senior. Tyrance's son, Pat III, was born after his junior season. I have no idea when he slept.



On the football field, Tyrance was no slouch.

Lightly recruited out of Millard North High School, Tyrance played in every game as a redshirt sophomore, with five starts. In his junior season (1989), he was an All-Big Eight pick. His senior season (1990) got off to an unconventional start. In addition to having a wife and newborn son at home, Tyrance missed the spring game to take the Medical College Admission Test. He did find time to hit the weight room, as evidenced by his team-best 446-pound bench press.

In the 1990 season opener against Baylor, Nebraska was clinging to a 6-0 lead in the fourth quarter. The Bears had second-and-goal from the 5, but Tyrance forced a fumble at the three. Nebraska scored a late touchdown to win 13-0. In a loss to eventual co-national champion Colorado, Tyrance forced two more fumbles and an interception with his pressure on quarterback Darian Hagan. Tyrance led the team in tackles his last two seasons and finished 13th in career tackles (currently 37th). A team captain, Tyrance repeated as an All-Big Eight pick. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2005.


Despite a strong football résumé, Tyrance didn't receive any invites for the various postseason all-star games or NFL scouting events. As draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. bluntly put it: "I think a lot of people want to know what his intentions are going to be." Tyrance, who hoped to play pro ball to help pay for medical school, fell to the eighth round.

After a year in the NFL, Tyrance started medical school at Harvard Medical School, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine. Since that wasn't enough of a challenge, he also earned a Master of Public Policy in Healthcare Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2015, he received an MBA from the George Washington School of Business. Dr. Pat Tyrance is currently an orthopedic surgeon. In 2009, he was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame, making him just the second Nebraska football player (Dave Rimington) and third Husker overall (basketball's Karen Jennings).


Pat Tyrance is not the first doctor to come out of the Nebraska football program. Far from it. In addition to being the first black player - and captain - at Nebraska in the 1890s, George Flippin was one of the first players to become a doctor. Flippin graduated from med school in Chicago in 1900 and returned to Nebraska and opened the first hospital in Stromsburg.

Since George Flippin, numerous Nebraska football players have gone on to become doctors in a medical discipline.*

*No disrespect to the PhDs out there - but we're going to focus on the MDs.

This is definitely an incomplete list, but it gives a good cross-section of eras and specialties:


Anesthesiologists: Dr. Monte Christo, Dr. Kyle Ringenberg, Dr. Chris Weber, Dr. Rob Zatechka
Dentists: Dr. Dennis Claridge, Dr. Will Dabbert, Dr. Rich Duda, Dr. Ben Gessford, Dr. Tom Milius, Dr. Ernie Sigler
Dermatology: Dr. Tyler Evans
Ophthalmologist: Dr. Mike Stuntz
Oral surgeon: Dr. Brandon Chapek.
Orthopedic Surgeons: Dr. Pat Clare, Dr. Thomas Heiser, Dr. Kellen Huston, Dr. Justin Makovicka, Dr. Randy Schleusener, Dr. Scott Strasburger, Dr. Patrick Tyrance, Dr. Dane Todd, Dr. Steve Volin
Pediatrics: Dr. Tim Fischer
Physical therapy: Dr. Joel Makovicka, Dr. Wyatt Mazour
Physicians: Dr. Kaye Carstens, Dr. George Flippin
Plastic surgeon: Dr. Sean Fisher
Urologic surgeon: Dr. Judd Davies

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 39: Andra Franklin, Fullback, 1977-1980

Andra Franklin is one of the greatest fullbacks in Nebraska history.

That's not just hyperbole. As an unabashed fanboy of Nebraska fullbacks* and originator of #FullbacksForever, I can assure you that it is a factual statement.

Let's take a look at the other contenders for the title of greatest Husker fullback:

Frank Solich gets a ton of love because of his diminutive size (and his coaching career). That said, a fullback in Bob Devaney's T-formation offense was more like a running back in a modern offense. Frankie may have been fearless, but he wasn't asked to do a ton of lead blocking. It's like comparing Zac Taylor with Steve Taylor. Same position, but two completely different offenses.

Tom Rathman set multiple position records (881 yards in 1985, with four 100-yard games). He went onto a terrific pro career, opening holes for fellow Husker Roger Craig (who also spent some time at fullback).

Cory Schlesinger and the Makovicka brothers (Jeff and Joel) get support due to their contributions to the championship teams of the 1990s. They were prototypical fullbacks in the Osborne option offense: a battering ram of a lead blocker, who occasionally got a carry to keep defenses honest.

But Andra Franklin was different. He was a best-of-both-worlds hybrid who could block and tote the rock. Born and raised in Alabama, he turned down Bear Bryant to come to Nebraska.

A four-year letterman, Franklin gained 1,753 yards in his career. That is the most by a NU fullback, and almost 200 yards ahead of second place (Dick Davis, who followed Solich in the 1960s). When he graduated, Franklin had the ninth-most rushing yards in Nebraska history (currently 36th). Franklin was an All-Big Eight selection in 1980, his senior season.

As any Osborne-era fullback will tell you, their primary role was to block for the I-back. The I-back in Franklin's junior and seasons (Jarvis Redwine) rushed for 2,213 yards on a ridiculous 7.1 yards per carry. Obviously, Marvelous Jarvis and the offensive line deserve a ton of credit, but I guarantee that Franklin's blocking and threat as a runner made Redwine's life much easier.

Andra Franklin undoubtedly holds a spot on the Mount Rushmore of Husker fullbacks with Rathman, Solich and Joel Makovicka. He played in a bit of a forgotten era, but he is arguably the greatest fullback in Nebraska's history.

[FearlessF]

Urban Meyer knows what it’s like to face the media after his prolonged head coaching career. Now a member of the media himself, Meyer recently tackled the surprising comments made by former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost.

Now back at UCF, the Husker program legend who ultimately flopped as a head coach was asked about his time in Lincoln. He described Nebraska as “the wrong job” and claimed to be “tugged” by his alma mater toward a job he never wanted to take.

For fans who lived through the Frost era, it’s a tough comment to hear, to say the least. Even if those are Frost’s true feelings, it’s hard to hear the head coach not at least take some accountability for the final product.

During a recent episode of The Triple Option Podcast, Meyer broke down Frost’s comments alongside co-hosts Rob Stone and Mark Ingram. Meyer admitted that sometimes you say things from the podium that you regret, and he believes Frost would take back his comments if able to.

“We’ve all stood at the podium, and we say something like ‘Ouch, why did I say that?’ And you can’t take it back. I’m sure he would want to take it back. If it’s not meant to be, it’s a direct shot at Nebraska,” said Meyer. “I know Scott Frost, a helluva coach, and I’ve known him a long time. That didn’t go well. I actually had people send it to me and say ‘Wow, look at this’.”

“You do take jobs, and you love the place. When I left Bowling Green and I went to Utah, I loved Bowling Green… I get that, you sometimes put your feet down somewhere and you’re like uh oh, this ain’t Kansas,” said Meyer about coaches sometimes regretting a move they make.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 38: Sam Francis, Fullback, 1934-1936

Who is the greatest player in Nebraska football history?

Before you answer, allow me to throw a qualifier on there: You can only pick players whose careers ended before Bob Devaney's first game in 1962.

At that point, who would have been considered the greatest player in Nebraska football history?

To simplify and shrink the pool of candidates, let's only look at players who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Notably, that eliminates Tom "Train Wreck" Novak. But don't worry - the remaining seven names all have a legitimate claim to the "best ever" crown.

The super seven, in alphabetical order: Forrest Behm, Guy Chamberlin, Sam Francis, Bobby Reynolds, George Sauer, Clarence Swanson and Ed Weir. Spoiler alert: Six of them will be honored as the greatest at their respective numbers.*

*The seventh, Guy Chamberlin, played before uniform numbers were commonplace. But make no mistake, the pride of beautiful Blue Springs, Neb., is a worthy contender. A transfer from Nebraska Wesleyan, "Champ" Chamberlin was all-conference in each of his two seasons at Nebraska and an All-American in 1915. Nebraska went a combined 15-0-1 in his two seasons, including a win over Notre Dame. Against Iowa, Chamberlin scored four touchdowns.

Chamberlin is one of three Cornhuskers (along with Bob Brown and Will Shields) to be inducted into the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

In 1936, the members of Sigma Delta Chi, a professional journalism fraternity, sought to name the 11 best players in school history. To that end, they sent 300 postcards to every living Cornhusker, Bugeater and Old Gold Knight alumnus asking them to select an all-time Nebraska football team. From the responses, they formed a team and created a special section in the Daily Nebraskan. Additionally, the player named on the most responses was deemed the greatest player in Nebraska history: Guy Chamberlin.

Sam Francis received enough votes to make the second team.

On one hand, I love that this all-time team exists, and I respect their methodology. Who better to ask than former players?

But I have to put an asterisk on their results.

The exercise was conducted in the summer of 1936, with the results tabulated and released in November, before the end of the 1936 season. Sam Francis was a senior in 1936 and had a monster senior season.*

*Seriously - Sam's senior season is in the running for the best ever by any Nebraska student-athlete. It is that good.

To put my argument into modern terms, it would be like conducting a poll to name the greatest Blackshirt ever, but ending the voting in early October of Ndamukong Suh's senior season. Okay… maybe that's not a fair comparison. Suh didn't do as well in the Heisman voting as Sam Francis did.

Before we quibble too much with the results a 90-year-old poll, let's pause and consider some of Sam Francis's athletic gifts. Born in Dunbar, Neb., but raised in Oberlin, Kan., Francis was wildly successful at everything he tried. His high school football, basketball and track teams each won three state titles during his prep career.

Legendary Kansas basketball coach Phog Allen badly wanted Francis as a Jayhawk. Francis moved to Lawrence a few weeks before the semester started. But it just didn't feel right. Francis moved to Lincoln and enrolled at Nebraska. Phog Allen said Sam Francis was the one who got away.

As great as Francis was on the basketball court or the football field, track was arguably his best sport.

Francis was a track and field All-American at Nebraska - one of four Huskers ever to be a first-team All-American in football and track. He won shot put titles at the Drake Relays, Big Six championships (indoor and outdoor), as well as an NCAA championship in 1937. Francis qualified for the 1936 Summer Olympics (held in Berlin) and finished fourth. Germany's Gerhard Stock bumped Francis off the podium with this final throw. Francis missed out on a medal by 0.21 meters - about 8.25 inches.

After returning back to the States, Francis started his senior season on the football team. In the opener against Iowa State, he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. He had another long kickoff return against Kansas that was called back by penalty. Francis ran, punted and kicked for the first AP Top 10 team in school history (the poll started in 1936, and the Huskers finished ranked ninth). He was named All-Big Six for the second straight year.


Here's how the Cornhusker yearbook summed up his senior season: "Francis reaped more glory as the Husker's plunging, punting, and passing fullback. Francis stood out in every grid battle and as a reward for his superior ability, he was honored by America's sports writers by being named on all All-America honorary football elevens."

Sam Francis finished second in the 1936 Heisman Trophy voting to Larry Kelley of Yale. Francis was the first overall pick of the 1937 NFL draft by Philadelphia, but his pro career was cut short by World War II. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Norman Ott was one of the earliest Cornhusker historians. He was described in a 1936 Daily Nebraskan article as someone who has "followed the course of Husker football teams for almost 20 years. He knows all of Nebraska's great football players since the inception of the forward pass." Here is what Ott had to say about Sam Francis: "Sam can do everything George (Sauer) could do, and many football addicts in the Nebraska camp feel that he is a smoother ball handler than George."


Was he better than Chamberlin - and therefore the greatest Nebraska player prior to the Devaney/Osborne era?

Having researched and written about all of them, I'd be very tempted to pick Sam Francis over Chamberlin.

Francis definitely has an argument for the greatest senior year of any Nebraska student-athlete:

Fourth-place finish at the 1936 Olympics.
Consensus All-American in football and track.
Led the football team to its first Top 10 finish.
Heisman Trophy runner-up.
No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Won indoor and outdoor conference titles in track.
Led the track team to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA outdoor championships
Won the NCAA shot put championship.
Very, very few Huskers - regardless of sport - can match or top that.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 37: Lawrence Ely, Center, 1930-1932

What position do you most associate with Nebraska football?

During the Joe Paterno era, Penn State became known as "Linebacker U" for the string of talented backers the program produced. Several schools (USC, Georgia, Wisconsin and others) have tried to claim "Running Back U." And on and on for every position.

So, what is the "U" at dear old Nebraska U?

Certainly, Nebraska has produced several excellent I-backs and running backs over the years, especially during the Tom Osborne era. There was a 20-year stretch between Kris Brown and his brother Drew where Nebraska could have been considered "Placekicker U." And with six of Nebraska's nation-leading nine Outland Trophies being won by offensive linemen, there is definitely an argument for Nebraska being "O-Line U."


But I think we can get more specific.

Let's focus on one position: Center.

Nebraska centers have combined for:

35 first-team all-conference honors
12 first-team All-Americans
3 Outland Trophy winners
1 Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year award (beating out the quarterbacks and running backs from all eight teams)
1 Rimington Trophy
Personally, the fact that the award for the best center in college football is named after Nebraska center Dave Rimington is a rather indisputable bullet point on Nebraska's resume as "Center U."

Charley Brock, Franklin Meier, Tom Novak, Lyle Sittler, Kelly Petersen, Rik Bonness, Tom Davis, Rimington, Mark Traynowicz, Bill Lewis, Jake Young, Jim Scott, Aaron Graham, Aaron Taylor, Josh Heskew, Dominic Raiola and others were all standout centers at Nebraska.*

*A quick side note: seven of NU's 12 All-America centers were Nebraska natives. An eighth - Bill Lewis - is from just across the river in Sioux City, Iowa. 

No other team can match Nebraska's résumé of great centers. Nebraska is "Center U."

The first in the long line of outstanding Husker centers was Lawrence Ely. The Grand Island, Neb., native was an anchor in the middle for some of Dana X. Bible's best teams.

Ely earned All-Big Six honors in 1931 and 1932. In 1932, the "Biblemen" finished 7-1-1, and a perfect 5-0 in the Big Six conference. Their only blemishes were a 7-6 loss at regional power Minnesota and a 0-0 tie against East Coast stalwart Pittsburgh.

In 1932, Lawrence Ely was a first-team All-American - the first time a Nebraska center earned that honor.

At "Center U," it would not be the last.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 36: Larry Wachholtz, Safety, 1964-1966

At the start of the 1964 season, rule changes allowed schools for play two-platoon football. When coach Bob Devaney broke his team into offensive and defensive squads, he wanted a way to tell them apart.

As the legend goes, assistant coach Mike Corgan was sent out to a local sporting goods store to get some new practice jerseys. The store owner had a bunch of black jerseys that weren’t selling. Corgan - who walked the line between fiscally conservative and cheap - worked out a deal with the owner. The new black jerseys were issued to the first-string defenders.

From these humble, bargain-hunting roots, the Nebraska Black Shirts* were born.

*For many years, the Nebraska defensive players who wore the first-string practice jerseys were almost exclusively referred to as the "Black Shirts" (two words). "Blackshirts" (one word) entered the Husker lexicon in the 1970s, and has gone onto become the accepted spelling.

Without going too deep down a style-guide rabbit hole, I'm intentionally using the term "Black Shirts" in this chapter as an homage to the origins of the unit. Everywhere else, I am using "Blackshirts." This is done mainly for consistency and convenience, even though it may not be technically accurate for the time period(s) being discussed.

During that first season, the black jerseys were returned at the end of practice. Tomorrow, somebody else might be wearing the black jersey you wore today.

Even if the players on the 1964 team didn't fully appreciate it,* the standard was inherently set from the start: A black shirt is earned. Every single day. By differentiating the starters from the reserves (who originally wore grey jerseys), coaches hoped to motivate the lower units to achieve Black Shirt status.

*Looking back, players on the 1964 team were mixed on the impact of the black shirts. "We had no idea then of the tradition that was beginning," said linebacker Mike Kennedy.  Teammate Larry Wachholtz was more blunt: "They carried absolutely no meaning to us." 

That said, the 1964 team was noticeably better on defense than it was the year before. The Huskers finished No. 2 in the nation in total defense, allowing 45 fewer yards per game, dropped their points allowed from 10.7 to 7.5, and cut the passing yards allowed per game from 112.1 down to 66.5. In 1965, the Black Shirts were the nation's eighth-best defense.

Larry Wachholtz, a safety on the 1964 team, was one of the first Black Shirts.

There have been 95 different Nebraska Cornhuskers who earned first-team All-America honors. At 5-foot-8 and 163 pounds,* Wachholtz is the shortest and lightest of them all. I believe Wachholtz is also the smallest Black Shirt ever - just two pounds lighter than the listed weight of cornerback Barron Miles in the mid-1990s.

*Remember the story of Frankie Solich taping weights to his body in an attempt to not be the lightest player on the 1964 Huskers? Larry Wachholtz was the guy he was trying to beat.

According to one version of the story (from a 1964 Sports Illustrated article), Solich used eight pounds of weights that clanged as he weighed in at 161. Wachholtz, "full of bananas and milkshakes," tipped the scales at 162.


But don't let his size fool you. The North Platte native known as "Cactus" packed a lot of ability – and punch – into his small frame.

For starters, it really isn’t fair to Larry Wachholtz to simply list him as a “safety.” Yes, he was an outstanding defensive back, earning All-Big Eight honors twice and first-team All-American honors as a senior. His seven interceptions as a senior ranked in the top 10 nationally.

But that is not all he did. Not even close.

Wachholtz was an excellent punt returner, leading the Big Eight in return yards twice. In 1965, his junior season, he missed out on the national lead by just seven yards. And if that was not enough, Wachholtz also kicked PATs (36 of 39) and field goals (3 of 5). In 1965, he played - and kicked - with an injured foot. Here's what Bob Devaney had to say about him:

"He's just not an outstanding defensive player. He's so much more to us. Larry is a great punt returner, a real team leader, and a tremendous placekicker. He kicked six PATs against Kansas with a big toe the size of a baseball." Never missing an opportunity for a laugh, Devaney added, "We're afraid to let a doctor work on his toe for fear it'll hurt his kicking ability."

Wachholtz left Nebraska holding multiple school records for punt returns, tackles and interceptions. In 1982 he was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.

Over the years - and with the continued successes of the defense - the Black Shirts mystique continued to grow both inside the program and externally. Defensive coordinators recognized the importance of the tradition and fed into it.

In the 1980s, an Omaha T-shirt seller - inspired by a box of rat poison in his workshop - created a skull-and-crossbones logo incorporating a Nebraska helmet. That logo became the symbol of the Blackshirts and inspired the "throw the bones" celebration after big plays.

Blackshirt practices and policies have changed over the years - and especially across different coaching staffs. During the Tom Osborne era, defensive coordinator Charlie McBride would issue Blackshirts at the end of camp. Before the bowl game, he would issue one to each of the seniors on defense - including the punter. Bo Pelini would often have 15 or more Blackshirts at a time, due to the different defensive packages he used. Pelini and others were known to pull the Blackshirts from the team after especially poor performances.

The process for handing them out has evolved a lot as well. Some staffs liked to simply hang the Blackshirt in a player's locker. Others handed them out in a ceremonial fashion. Many teams have had former Blackshirt players come back and speak about the meaning and responsibility of wearing a Blackshirt, passing the legacy and meaning down to the next generation of defenders.

Many of Nebraska's greatest defenders have said that the most impactful moment of their Nebraska career was when they got their first Blackshirt. To a player who has earned one, it is a symbol of his hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Since its humble beginnings, a Black Shirt represents the best of the best, which is why it is often a prized possession long after a career has ended.

Former linebacker Jay Foreman has a provision in his will that he be buried with his Blackshirt.

It means that much.

[FearlessF]

Lutovsky was one of four Huskers players who joined coach Matt Rhule at Big Ten Media Days this week in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder had an amazing stat during Nebraska’s 7-6 season in 2024.

According to the Big Ten Network, Lutovsky allowed zero sacks on 429 pass-block attempts, a remarkable achievement in the highly competitive Big Ten.

Lutovsky brings more than athletic prowess to the football field. He was an Academic All-Big Ten in 2023 and 2024. He was an eight-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll recipient. He also was on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2024 and 2025.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 35: Ed Weir, Tackle, 1923-1925

When did Nebraska football become a national power?

Nebraska has been a winning program from the start, going 2-0 in the inaugural 1890 season. They owned three conference championships before Lincoln sportswriter Cy Sherman first referred to them as the "Cornhuskers" - a nickname formally adopted by NU in 1900.

Early Nebraska teams were annual favorites in the Missouri Valley Intercollege Athletic Association - a predecessor to the conference eventually known as the Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12.

Coaches W.C. "King" Cole and Ewald "Jumbo" Stiehm piled up wins against regional teams like Doane, Grinnell and Kansas.

But Nebraska - and its fans - wanted to be known as one of the nation's best teams.

That level of validation could only come from beating a national power. But travel to the great Eastern teams (Army, Harvard, Princeton, etc.) was prohibitive. The Huskers rarely ventured outside a 500-mile radius for a game.

Enter Notre Dame.

In the 1910s, the Fighting Irish were also emerging as a national power. Coach Jesse Harper arranged for a series of games with Jumbo Stiehm. In 1915, Notre Dame came to Lincoln, the first of 11 straight years of games between the two schools. Nebraska won 20-19, a massive victory for the program's reputation. Now, Nebraska needed to back it up and prove it wasn't a fluke.

After the initial win, the series was very even: 1-1-1 over the next three years. The Irish rattled off three straight wins from 1919-1921. In 1922, the Irish - now coached by Knute Rockne and led by a quartet of sensational sophomores who would eventually become known as the "Four Horsemen"* - were becoming an unbeatable dynasty.

*Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice's famous words from 1924:

"Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again.

"In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

The final four games in the Notre Dame-NU series would change the course of how Nebraska football was perceived in the nation's eyes.

1922 - Nebraska 14, Notre Dame 6.
This was the final game the Cornhuskers played at old Nebraska Field. A reported 16,000 fans were in attendance - and many watched from ladders, rooftops and trees outside the stadium. Coach Fred Dawson's Cornhuskers led 14-0 at halftime and held on for the victory. This game showed that the 1915 win was not a fluke. The Cornhuskers were a potent program.

1923 - Nebraska 14, Notre Dame 7.
The Huskers hosted Notre Dame in the third game ever at Nebraska's brand new Memorial Stadium.* The Associated Press would not start its college football poll for another 13 years. Had it existed, the Irish likely would have been one of the top teams.

*The construction of Memorial Stadium was another big step in Nebraska announcing its presence. Instead of playing at outdated Nebraska Field with its wooden stands, the Huskers now had a $500,000, state-of-the-art concrete and steel facility.

The Four Horsemen formed a fearsome rushing attack… except on this November day. Nebraska's defense - led by Ed Weir, a sophomore tackle and team captain - shut down the Irish running game. Notre Dame threw a late touchdown pass, but the Cornhuskers had once again beaten the mighty Irish.

1924 - Notre Dame 34, Nebraska 6.
Of the 11 games in the original NU-ND series, this was one of just two played in South Bend. Why? The Nebraska fans bought tickets in droves. Schools would split the gate revenue, which resulted in big paydays for both teams.

In their last game against Nebraska, the Four Horseman finally beat the Huskers, avenging the only two losses they suffered in their careers. Rockne's game plan was largely focused on neutralizing Weir. The final score definitely suggests his plan worked. Notre Dame went on to win the national championship.

After the game, Rockne marched over to the Nebraska locker room and demanded to be let in. Rockne shouted "Weir! I want Weir." The legendary coach went over to a dejected Weir - too exhausted to move - and said* "Weir, I want to say to your face that you're the greatest tackle and the cleanest player I've ever watched."

*As one might expect with something that happened over 100 years ago, there's some discrepancy on the exact words Rockne said to Weir. One source had "That was the greatest exhibition of play I have ever seen. There was never anything like it." Another version is more simplistic "You're the greatest tackle I ever saw," which was clearly Rockne's message.


1925 - Nebraska 17, Notre Dame 0
In Ed Weir's senior season, he got the last laugh against Rockne and the Irish. In what may have been the best game of his great career, Weir blocked a punt to set up a Nebraska touchdown. He kicked both extra points and a 25-yard field goal as Nebraska cruised to a 17-0 victory.

After the game, Weir said "Rock gave me a big grin and a wink."

The 1925 game was the final in the 11-game series between the Huskers and Irish. Notre Dame loved the share of gate revenues earned by playing in Lincoln - reportedly $80,000 by the end of the series ($1.4 million in 2025 dollars). However, the near-constant anti-Catholic slurs from Nebraska fans (and the Lincoln chapter of the Ku Klux Klan) caused Notre Dame to cancel the rivalry. The two legendary programs have met just five times in the last 100 years.


The Four Horsemen were not the only college football legends to be bested by Weir's Cornhuskers. One of the only times the great "Galloping Ghost" Red Grange of Illinois was kept out of the end zone was against Weir in 1925.


Weir played tackle on both offense and defense, but defense is where he made his mark. Weir once said his mindset on defense was to get in the backfield and tackle everyone he saw until he got to the man with the ball. Occasionally, Weir would play fullback, but his coaches did not care for his tactic of using the ball to stiff-arm would-be tacklers.

Weir was the first Husker to earn All-America honors twice (1924 and 1925), and was also a two-time captain. He was the first Cornhusker elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, joining the inaugural class in 1951. Sports Illustrated named him one of the greatest players of the first half of the 20th century.

After college, Weir was a player/coach for the Frankford Yellow Jackets of the NFL before coming back to Lincoln as an assistant coach with the track and football teams.* NU won conference championships in seven of his nine years on the football staff. Weir was the head coach of the Nebraska track and field team for 17 years, winning 10 conference championships.

*I love this quote from the 1933 Cornhusker yearbook talking about Weir's football coaching style: "he still gets in and mixes it up with the boys once in a while."

After Weir retired from coaching, he was an assistant AD for 14 years. The outdoor track at Nebraska (since replaced by the new football practice facility) was named in his honor.

In all, Weir - the pride of Superior - spent 43 of his 88 years as a player, coach or administrator for the University of Nebraska.

Ed Weir is a true legend of Cornhusker athletics.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 34: Trev Alberts, Outside Linebacker, 1990-1993

This pick - like with Frank Solich at 45 - necessitates a reminder that our selection criteria are not determined by what happens after a player's college career ends.

But unlike Frankie - who remains a widely beloved figure within the Husker fan base despite being fired - Trev Alberts has had a much harder time keeping his Q rating up over the years. Here's a quick (and likely incomplete) version:

Injuries derailed his NFL career (he was the fifth overall pick, a selection loudly mocked by Mel Kiper, Jr.). As a college football commentator for CNN/SI and ESPN, Alberts seemingly went out of his way to not show a speck of bias toward his alma mater.

Alberts did many good things in his 12 years as the athletic director at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. At the top of the list is the move to Division I, and the addition of the popular and successful hockey program. But the means to that end - cutting the successful Maverick football and wrestling programs - along with the very unprofessional way he did it - cast a shadow over his tenure.

Alberts left Omaha to become the athletic director at his alma mater in Lincoln. In his 31 months on the job, Alberts did a number of good things. He was the driving force behind the record-breaking "Volleyball Day in Nebraska." Most (if not all) of Nebraska's biggest sports improved during his tenure. And he replaced the floundering Scott Frost with Matt Rhule, widely perceived as a home run hire.

But in March 2024, Trev Alberts left Nebraska to take the same job at Texas A&M with little warning or explanation. His reputation and respect within the fan base evaporated instantly. He will likely be forever vilified as "Traitor Trev."

So, yeah… to say that Trev Alberts is no longer a beloved figure in the state of Nebraska is an understatement.

Therefore, I will once again remind you that our focus is about what a player accomplished on the field during his career. With that in mind, Trev Alberts is one of the greatest Blackshirts in Nebraska history. Period.

Alberts was a two-time All-Big Eight selection. A first-team All-American. The Big Eight Player of the Year. His 1993 season, featuring a school-record 15 sacks, remains one of the greatest campaigns by a Blackshirt.

I’ll never forget how strong he was. Several times, he appeared to be blocked, or the quarterback looked like he was about to escape. Alberts would simply grab him with one arm and pull him down to the turf.

Alberts won the 1993 Butkus Award as the nation's best linebacker (the only Husker ever to win that award). In the 1994 Orange Bowl, he sacked Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward three times, despite having dislocated his elbow a month earlier. Trev's #34 is one of 17 retired jerseys at Nebraska. As such, his name will remain on the Memorial Stadium façade forever.

Nothing he did after graduation changes that.

If you want to forever hate Trev Alberts for how he left Nebraska, be my guest. I too was disappointed by his decision to leave, but I am willing to acknowledge the many good things he did as Nebraska's AD. Much like with the native son coach he fired, I'm can separate my feelings about the player from my feelings about the coach/administrator. If we're going to forever vilify one of them, my vote would be for the 16-31 coach we had to pay to leave, and not the guy who was so successful at Nebraska he was sought out by one of the biggest and richest schools in the country. But that's just me.

Trev Alberts definitely has been polarizing since his playing career ended, but there is no doubt that he is one of the all-time greats.

[FearlessF]

Soon-to-retire Gary Danielson will be in the booth for the Michigan game in Lincoln, where his CBS career began 35 years ago.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 33: Forrest Behm, Tackle, 1938-1940

How has nobody made a movie about Forrest Behm's life?

Probably because his story - even by Hollywood standards - would be too unbelievable.

At the age of 5, young Forrest was severely burned in a brush fire. Behm later described it as "skin literally dripping of my leg" from ankle to hip. Since there were no antibiotics to fight infection, his doctors recommended amputating the leg.

Behm's father refused to let his son be an amputee. He took Forrest home and enlisted the assistance of a veterinarian who laid out a regime of treating and wrapping his wounds.

Forrest endured painful daily rehabilitation exercises for years. Repeated massage allowed him to progress from leg braces to crutches. Regular calisthenics and other exercises helped a lot, but he was still using a cane as a teenager. Behm did not regain full use of his leg until he was a senior in high school.

While attending Lincoln High School, Behm wanted to play on the basketball team. Even though he was quite tall for the time (6-foot-4), his leg injuries caused him to get cut from the team. With basketball off the table, Behm tried football. He had never played football before, so he was a seldom-used reserve.

The summer after he graduated from high school, Behm worked a construction job for the telephone company - digging ditches and lugging poles. The long days of physical labor helped strengthen his leg - and everything else. A friend convinced to register at the university and talked him into trying out for the football team. "We'll have a lot of laughs," his friend told him.

At Nebraska, Behm tried to walk on to the football team. Freshman Coach A.J. Lewandowski loved his size (at the time, only a handful of players in school history matched his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame).

But there was a problem: Behm needed size-15 shoes. The university didn't have anything that big. And in the midst of the Great Depression, NU wasn’t willing to buy them. Nebraska's equipment manager told Behm he wouldn't be able to play.

Behm asked what if bought his own shoes? The staff had no objection to that. Behm had to work most of the summer to afford the his kangaroo skin cleats, but he was on the team.


In his first varsity game, (against a very good Minnesota team), Behm suffered a broken nose and twisted knee. He questioned if football was the game for him. But he persisted.

After that, things got a little easier for Behm. He was an honor student, a Cadet Colonel in the ROTC, and was voted class president. Heck, he even sang in the college choir.

In the summers he worked days shoveling concrete on what is now known as Cornhusker Highway. At night, he unloaded 100-pound bags of sugar from a train and stacked them in a warehouse.

In 1940 (Behm's senior year), Behm and Nebraska had their best season ever. Behm was an all-conference and All-America selection. Biff Jones's Cornhuskers rebounded from an opening-game loss to Minnesota and rattled off eight straight victories, winning the Big Six Conference. As one of the top teams in the nation (they were ranked seventh in the AP poll), Nebraska was invited to the Rose Bowl* - the first bowl bid in school history.

*Stanford - the No. 2 team in the country - was the first choice of the Rose Bowl. As such, they had the right to select their opponent. Stanford wanted No. 1 Minnesota, but the Gophers declined. However, they did recommend the Nebraska team they had defeated to start the season.

Once again, things weren't easy. Some members of the Nebraska Board of Regents were skeptical about the trip. They feared it would send a message that athletics were more important than the academic mission of the university.*

As class president, Behm was in these meetings. Behm asked the room, "What are you going to tell people when you go home and say you turned down an invitation to the Rose Bowl?" The bowl bid was accepted.

*The fears of those regents may have been valid. "We were studying for finals and (the bowl bid) came out on the radio," said Herm Rohrig, a senior halfback. "Naturally, we got rid of the books in a hurry." Classes were canceled the following day as students took to the downtown streets in celebration.

The team traveled west via train in mid-December, stopping in Phoenix to practice in a warmer climate. A snowy winter had made workouts in Lincoln a challenge. At the time, there was no indoor practice facility. The money NU received from its Rose Bowl appearance - $140,916 - was used toward the construction of what would become known as Schulte Fieldhouse at the north end of Memorial Stadium.

Before a bowl practice in Phoenix, Behm was lying on the side of the field stretching. Two players were fooling around, and one of them stepped on Behm's hip, causing a severe injury. Behm could barely stand, let alone put weight on it. But he still played half of the game, albeit very limited.


Stanford was the first college team to run the T-formation offense, a system Nebraska had never seen before. Despite that, Nebraska scored first and led 13-7 in the second quarter. However, Stanford scored to take a 14-13 lead into the half. In the second half, the Husker offense could not move the ball. A dazzling Stanford punt-return touchdown was a demoralizing blow for the Big Red. Nebraska lost its first bowl game 21-13.

Even though the Cornhuskers lost, the game firmly put Nebraska on the map in college football.

After the Rose Bowl, Forrest Behm graduated, married his college sweetheart (they were together 61 years when she passed), served in the Army Signal Corps, became the president of Corning Glass, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Behm was of the greatest Huskers ever, with a life straight out of a movie.